British Airways compensation claim form: fields, documents and follow-up
Reviewed on 10 August 2026. British Airways uses different online paths for fixed flight compensation, disruption expenses and baggage. Select the compensation or complaint route for a UK261 or EC261 payment, the expense form for hotel and meal receipts, and the baggage portal for missing or damaged bags. Enter the original disrupted flight, not only the replacement now visible in the booking.
Free eligibility check
Check your case in the form
Enter your route, date and type of disruption. We will check whether your case qualifies for a claim under EU 261/2004 or UK261.
What happened to your flight?
Claim up to €600 for a delayed or cancelled flight.
Choose the situation that applies to your flight:
Before opening the form, prepare a clean chronology and one attachment set. Browser sessions can expire, and Manage My Booking may overwrite the original itinerary after rerouting.
Choose the correct BA process
| What you want | Correct subject | Typical evidence |
|---|---|---|
| GBP or EUR fixed payment | Delay, cancellation or denied-boarding compensation | Ticket, arrival time, notice and operating cause |
| Hotel, meals or local transport | Disruption expenses | Itemised receipts and explanation |
| Alternative flight or train cost | Expense or rerouting reimbursement | BA request, refusal, timetable and receipt |
| Delayed, lost or damaged baggage | Baggage claim | Report reference, tags, receipts and photographs |
| Service complaint only | Customer Relations complaint | Narrative and supporting material |
BA's complaints page groups several services, but the underlying evidence and legal basis differ. Filing everything as a general service complaint can delay a straightforward statutory request.
Details to collect before starting
Prepare the six-character booking reference, ticket number, passenger names exactly as booked, contact details and bank information. Record the original flight number, date, airports, scheduled departure and scheduled final arrival. Add the actual replacement flight and final door-opening time.
Confirm the operating carrier. A BA code may be performed by British Airways Plc, BA CityFlyer, BA Euroflyer or a partner. If the site indicates that another operator should handle the claim, preserve the message before leaving the form.
For cancellation, have the first notification and the date it reached you. For denied boarding, retain proof of timely check-in, gate presence and the written reason. For delay, convert all times consistently and identify a missed connection on one booking.
Describe the event in a compact chronology
A useful factual entry can be organised in four sentences:
- identify the ticketed journey and operating carrier;
- state what BA changed or failed to operate;
- give the replacement and final arrival time;
- state the amount and legal regime requested.
Avoid speculation about internal motives. If BA gave only "operational reasons", quote that phrase and ask for the specific event, causal link and reasonable measures. If weather or ATC was mentioned, state what evidence is missing rather than declaring that no external problem existed.
Keep emotion out of the amount field. A poor airport experience can support a service complaint, but fixed compensation is decided through route, timing, event and defence. A precise form is easier to audit and escalate.
Enter the governing law and amount
UK261 normally applies to departures from the UK and many BA-operated arrivals. EC261 applies to departures from EU airports. BA is a UK carrier, so an inbound third-country flight to the EU does not generally gain EC261 protection simply because it carries a BA code.
Use great-circle distance. The standard UK bands are GBP 220, GBP 350 and GBP 520; the EC bands are EUR 250, EUR 400 and EUR 600. On a protected through booking, distance usually runs from first departure to final destination. Long-distance reduction rules can produce half payment.
State the amount per person and total. Do not combine compensation with ticket refund or expenses in one unexplained figure. Link to the BA calculator guide if the distance category or reduction needs a separate worksheet.
Upload documents that prove each element
Use readable PDF files or clear images with descriptive names. Include:
- original booking and e-ticket;
- original and replacement boarding passes;
- cancellation or schedule-change messages;
- arrival evidence for long delay;
- written denied-boarding record where relevant;
- authority letters for represented adults;
- a short schedule of attachments.
Do not upload unrelated identity documents unless the process genuinely requires them. Redact unnecessary card details from receipts while leaving date, merchant, currency, item and total visible.
If the form limits attachment size, combine related pages into a clearly ordered PDF. Keep the originals unchanged. A screenshot of the final upload list can later prove what BA received.
Claiming on behalf of other passengers
British Airways says a representative should provide signed authority from passengers included in the claim. The form may accept several travellers on one reservation, but different surnames or contact details can trigger additional verification.
List each traveller's ticket and requested payment. Children have individual claims where eligible; a parent can act for them. Do not assume that the booking holder automatically owns every adult passenger's compensation.
If two passengers have separate booking references, BA may require separate submissions. Cross-reference the cases only where the same disruption and evidence overlap.
Expenses need their own schedule
BA's expense guidance asks for passenger names, affected flights, expense details, receipts and bank information. It recognises necessary accommodation, hotel transport, reasonable food and drink excluding alcohol, two communications, and in specified circumstances comparable alternative transport.
Create a table with date, merchant, item, currency, amount, payer and reason. Explain that BA did not provide the required care or suitable transport. Do not include lost wages, destination activities or unrelated prepaid accommodation as though they were airport care.
Passengers on different bookings may need separate expense claims. Use the hotel and meal expense guide for reasonableness and self-booking examples.
Save proof and monitor the response
Before pressing submit, copy the narrative into a local document and capture the completed fields. Save the confirmation page, email and case reference. If BA permits case tracking or updates, use the same reference rather than opening duplicate requests immediately.
When a response arrives, compare it with the submitted remedies. An approval for GBP 350 does not necessarily decide an expense schedule. A refund may relate to ticket value rather than fixed compensation. Ask BA to identify what each payment settles.
If BA gives a final refusal, address the disputed point and attach the original submission record. British Airways directs dissatisfied customers to CEDR, an ADR provider approved by the CAA. If no response arrives within eight weeks, CAA guidance also permits ADR escalation where the airline participates.
The adopted EU reform introduces a future obligation for clearer claim instructions and a 30-day airline response, but it is not the current procedure on 10 August 2026. Do not present that future timing as a deadline BA has already breached.
FAQ
Is there one British Airways form for compensation and expenses?
No. BA separates fixed compensation from disruption expenses, and baggage uses another route. Keep the claim references linked in your own records.
Which flight should I enter after BA rebooked me?
Enter the original disrupted service and then give the replacement itinerary. Attach the original ticket if Manage My Booking now displays only the new flight.
Must I upload every receipt with the compensation form?
Use the expense process for care receipts. The fixed-payment form needs documents proving route, event, timing and passengers rather than a mixed receipt bundle.
Can I claim for an adult travelling with me?
BA may require that passenger's signed authority. Include their ticket details and individual amount instead of assuming the booking holder can act automatically.
What if the BA form has no field for my legal explanation?
Use the available narrative field concisely and attach a short statement if permitted. Preserve screenshots and the submission confirmation for later review.